Will the Lions of Mesopotamia do it against Kuwait? Intriguing numbers ahead of Iraq’s Gulf 27 clash
Will the Lions of Mesopotamia do it against Kuwait? Intriguing numbers ahead of Iraq’s Gulf 27 clash
Will the Lions of Mesopotamia do it against Kuwait? Intriguing numbers ahead of Iraq’s Gulf 27 clash
Iraqi fans are awaiting a new meeting full of calculations when the Iraqi national team meets its Kuwaiti counterpart on Saturday evening, in the second round of Group A in the Arabian Gulf Cup "Gulf 27", being held in the Saudi city of Jeddah.
The match does not look ordinary for the Lions of Mesopotamia; besides its importance in the race to qualify for the semi-finals, the meeting returns one of the oldest Gulf fixtures to the Gulf Cup after an absence of nearly 12 years.
The Iraq–Kuwait match will be held on Saturday, 26 September 2026, at 6:55 p.m. Baghdad and Mecca time, at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah.
Iraq seeks its first win
Iraq entered Gulf 27 with a 1-1 draw against Oman, after starting the match perfectly and Mohammed Qasim opened the scoring early in the sixth minute.
But Oman came back in the second half and equalized through Nasser Al-Rawahi in the 66th minute, leaving both teams with one point each.
Although they did not win, the first match showed Iraq’s ability to reach the opponent’s goal and assert superiority at times; however the meeting with Kuwait will be a different test, especially since any points dropped in the second round could make calculations for the final round more complicated.
Kuwait enters under greater pressure
On the other side, Kuwait enters the match after losing its opening game to Saudi Arabia 1-0.
The only goal came in the 73rd minute by Kuwait player Youssef Al-Haqan, who scored an own goal, leaving Kuwait to start the tournament without points.
After the first round, Saudi Arabia tops the group with three points, while Iraq and Oman each have one point, and Kuwait has none.
This situation makes Kuwait required to come away with a positive result against Iraq to improve its standing in the group, which could make the match more open offensively.
An important stat before the match... Iraq has not lost to Kuwait in years
Beyond the group standings, recent meetings between Iraq and Kuwait reveal a striking figure in favor of the Lions of Mesopotamia.
In the last five encounters between the two national teams from 2018 to 2025, the Iraqi team did not suffer any defeat to Kuwait.
The teams drew 2-2 in 2018, then Iraq won 2-1 in 2021, and repeated the victory 1-0 in 2022.
In World Cup qualifying, Iraq and Kuwait drew 0-0 in Kuwait in September 2024, before the next meeting in Basra ended 2-2 in March 2025.
So the tally of the last five matches is: Two wins for Iraq and three draws, with Kuwait failing to record any win.
The last Basra match carries a warning for the Lions of Mesopotamia
Despite Iraq's positive record, the last encounter between the teams offers an important lesson ahead of the Gulf 27 meeting.
On 20 March 2025, Kuwait led Iraq 2-0 in Basra thanks to Youssef Nasser, before the Iraqi team engineered a very dramatic comeback in stoppage time.
Akam Hashim scored to reduce the deficit in the 90+3rd minute, before Ibrahim Bayish snatched the equalizer in the 90+11th minute, and the match finished 2-2.
That match indicates that historical numbers do not mean the Kuwait game will be easy, as the Blue previously put the Iraqi team under heavy pressure and was close to winning.
Their first Gulf Cup meeting since 2014
Another notable figure is that Iraq and Kuwait have not met in the Gulf Cup itself since 14 November 2014.
On that day, Kuwait beat Iraq 1-0 in Riyadh, a goal scored by Fahad Al-Anzi in stoppage time.
Since then the two teams have met in friendlies and World Cup qualifiers, but Saturday’s match will be their first face-to-face return in the Gulf Cup after about 12 years.
This gives the match an additional historical dimension not only linked to the group points.
Fourteen Gulf Cup titles on the field
When Iraq and Kuwait meet, the encounter brings together two teams that together hold 14 Gulf Cup titles.
Kuwait remains the historical record-holder, having won the tournament ten times, while Iraq has been crowned four times, the most recent when Iraq hosted Gulf 25 in 2023.
Therefore the match brings together two teams whose names are linked to the tournament's history, even if their circumstances differ from one edition to another.
What does a win mean for Iraq?
Iraq currently has one point, and therefore a victory over Kuwait would raise its tally to four points before the third and final group stage round.
That would put the Lions of Mesopotamia in a stronger position in the race to secure one of the two spots for the semi-finals, ahead of the final round match against Saudi Arabia on 29 September.
A draw would keep many calculations open until the final round, so the Kuwait match represents an important opportunity for Iraq to turn the draw with Oman into a stronger start in the tournament.
Where can the match be decided?
One of the key factors may be Iraq's ability to capitalize on a strong start.
Against Oman the Lions of Mesopotamia needed only six minutes to reach the net, but the team did not hold on to its lead until the end.
Against Kuwait, scoring a goal alone will not be enough unless it is accompanied by the ability to manage the game and maintain defensive balance, especially against an opponent entering the match in need of points.
Space may also play an important role, because Kuwait's need for a positive result could push it to play more forward, which may give Iraqi players opportunities for quick attacks and access to the opponent's areas.
Will the Lions of Mesopotamia do it?
Recent figures say Iraq knows well how to avoid losing to Kuwait: five consecutive matches between the teams have passed without the Blue managing a win.
The table shows Iraq has one point, while Kuwait enters the meeting without a tally.
History says we are facing two of the national teams most associated with the Gulf Cup, so relying on numbers alone is not enough to decide what will happen on the pitch.
The question awaiting Iraqi fans' answer on Saturday evening remains:
Will the Lions of Mesopotamia make use of the draw against Oman and secure their first win in Gulf 27 against Kuwait, or will the Kuwaiti Blue write a new chapter in one of the oldest Gulf football rivalries?
The answer will be at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah.
Sources cited: The Asian Football Confederation, the teams' international match records, and the tournament reports and Gulf 27 media.
